An imaging device includes an optical system including optical elements, an image sensor, a lens barrel movable relative to a device body to move the optical elements along an optical axis, a fixed element, a movable element on which the image sensor is mounted, a drive mechanism to generate a drive force by flowing an electric current into a magnetic field, to move the movable element relative to the fixed element, and movable connectors each including a bar element and a bearing provided in the fixed element and the movable element provided to movably support the bar element along the axis. The bar elements of the movable connectors are set to move in different directions along the plane orthogonal to the optical axis. At least one of the bearings is disposed outside the lens barrel in the orthogonal direction relative to the optical axis.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An imaging device comprising: an optical system including one or more optical elements; an image sensor to obtain an image of a subject formed by the optical system; a lens barrel in which the optical elements are mounted, and being movable relative to a device body to move the optical elements along an optical axis; a fixed element at a fixed position in the device body in an orthogonal direction relative to the optical axis; a movable element on which the image sensor is mounted, and being movable relative to the fixed element along a plane vertical to the optical axis; a drive mechanism to generate a drive force by flowing an electric current into a magnetic field, to move the movable element relative to the fixed element; and two or more movable connectors each including a bar element provided in one of the fixed element and the movable element and a bearing provided in the other of the fixed element and the movable element to movably support the bar element along an axis of the bar element, wherein the bar elements of the movable connectors are set to move in different directions from each other along the plane orthogonal to the optical axis; at least one of the bearings is disposed outside the maximal diameter of the lens barrel in the orthogonal direction relative to the optical axis; and the movable connectors are disposed so that a straight line connecting the bearings of two of the movable connectors comes near the gravity center of the movable element and is approximately parallel to a direction of a first drive force generated by the drive mechanism and applied to the two movable connectors.
2. An imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein: one of the bar elements moves relative to the corresponding bearing in a first direction while the other of the bar elements moves relative to the corresponding bearing in a second direction; the movable connector moved in the first direction is a first movable connector comprised of a pair of connectors placing a gravity center of the movable element therebetween, and the movable connector moved in the second direction is a second movable connector; and the drive mechanism is configured to generate the first drive force and a second drive force to act on in different directions from each other along the plane orthogonal to the optical axis.
3. An imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein: the first direction is inclined at 45 degrees vertically relative to the device body in a reference posture with the optical axis set in a horizontal direction; and the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction.
4. An imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein: the drive mechanism includes a first driver to generate the first drive force to act along the plane orthogonal to the optical axis, and a second driver to generate a second drive force to act in a direction orthogonal to the first drive force along the plane orthogonal to the optical axis; the first driver is placed outside the lens barrel in the orthogonal direction to the optical axis on a first straight line inclined at 45 degrees vertically relative to the device body in a reference posture with the optical axis set in a horizontal direction; and the second driver is placed outside the lens barrel in the orthogonal direction to the optical axis on a second straight line orthogonal to the first straight line and inclined at 45 degrees vertically relative to the device body in the reference posture.
5. An imaging device according to claim 4 , further comprising a box element with a rectangular cross section orthogonal to the optical axis, to surround the lens barrel around the optical axis and accommodate the fixed element, movable element, and drive mechanism, wherein the first driver and second driver are disposed in a corner of the box element.
6. An imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein the first drive force and the second drive force act towards the gravity center of the movable element.
7. An imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising a position detector to detect a position of the movable element relative to the fixed element along the plane orthogonal to the optical axis, wherein: the drive mechanism includes a first driver to generate the first drive force to act along the plane orthogonal to the optical axis, and a second driver to generate a second drive force to act in a direction orthogonal to the first drive force along the plane orthogonal to the optical axis; and the position detector includes a first detector element to detect the position of the movable element relative to the fixed element in a direction of the first drive force and a second detector element to detect the position of the movable element relative to the fixed element in a direction of the second drive force.
8. An imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein: the device body has a rectangular cross section orthogonal to the optical axis; and the drive mechanism is placed in a corner of the device body.
9. An imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism includes a magnet to generate a magnetic field along the optical axis, and a coil to flow an electric current orthogonally relative to the magnetic field and having a trapezoidal cross section orthogonal to the optical axis such that a width of the cross section is shortened as it is away from the optical axis.
10. An imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising a shake detector to detect a moving amount of the device body along the plane orthogonal to the optical axis, wherein the drive mechanism is configured to move the movable element relative to the fixed element in accordance with a detection signal from the shake detector, to move the image sensor along with a moving subject image.
11. An imaging device according to claim 10 , wherein: one of the bar elements moves relative to the corresponding bearing in a first direction while the other of the bar elements moves relative to the corresponding bearing in a second direction; the movable connector moved in the first direction is a first movable connector and the movable connector moved in the second direction is a second movable connector; and the shake detector is configured to detect the moving amount of the device body in both of the first and second directions.
12. An electronic device comprising the imaging device according to claim 1 .
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
May 23, 2012
July 7, 2015
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